Sunnylands: Storied Annenberg estate in Rancho Mirage opens to public

Sunnylands: The storied Annenberg estate

Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times

By Scarlet Cheng Once completed in 1966, Sunnylands became a secluded retreat for luminaries who included the power elite (Queen Elizabeth II, Margaret Thatcher and eight presidents from Dwight Eisenhower to Bill Clinton) as well as Hollywood royalty (Barbara and Frank Sinatra were married there). But Sunnylands also was a home. Pictured here: A gilded bird, part of an ornate mirror frame, takes flight against the backdrop of antique wallpaper in Sunnylands' Inwood Room, named after the Annenberg's mansion outside of Philadelphia.

By Scarlet Cheng Once completed in 1966, Sunnylands became a secluded retreat for luminaries who included the power elite (Queen Elizabeth II, Margaret Thatcher and eight presidents from Dwight Eisenhower to Bill Clinton) as well as Hollywood royalty (Barbara and Frank Sinatra were married there). But Sunnylands also was a home. Pictured here: A gilded bird, part of an ornate mirror frame, takes flight against the backdrop of antique wallpaper in Sunnylands' Inwood Room, named after the Annenberg's mansion outside of Philadelphia. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Leonore Annenberg favored pink, which accounts for the pink roof and walls. She admired how the color washed over the surrounding mountains at sunset. Here, the house and one of its pink garden retaining walls is mirrored in one of Sunnylands 11 artificial lakes.

Leonore Annenberg favored pink, which accounts for the pink roof and walls. She admired how the color washed over the surrounding mountains at sunset. Here, the house and one of its pink garden retaining walls is mirrored in one of Sunnylands 11 artificial lakes. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Sunnylands, the desert residence of philanthropists Walter and Leonore Annenberg, encompasses 200 acres and a 25,000-square-foot house designed by iconic architect A. Quincy Jones and interior designer William Haines, working with associate Ted Graber. The Times takes a sneak peek inside the house and new visitor center.